Fisheries Governance

Fisheries, along with maritime commerce and other activities, constitute one of the most important and traditional uses of oceans and coastal areas. In recent years, these “other” activities have gained in importance, as evidenced by Blue Growth, the long term strategy of the EU for sustainable growth in marine and maritime sectors. In this strategy aquaculture, maritime and coastal tourism, marine biotechnology, ocean energy and seabed mining are the sectors with high potential for sustainable jobs and growth, and the strategy focuses in its development. These sectors occupy the same marine areas where fisheries have traditionally been taking place and where a great impact could be experienced for the populations involved with this activity. These impacts may have an economic dimension but also an impact on fishing culture, a valuable heritage. These circumstances increase the imperative to collectively govern fisheries due to the confluence of diverse activities that impact on this sector.

Fisheries governance in itself is not an easy task, as the analysis of the processes involved in the European Common Fisheries Policy and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund elaboration, easily demonstrate. The tensions between small-scale and large scale fleets remain on-going, along with pressures from environmental organizations and other, competing lobbies. The implementation of these policies is challenging. This aspect is exemplified by the polemic about the discard ban, by the difficulties in applying the preference for access to 12 nautical mile zones by small-scale fisheries, or by the implementation of article 17 (CFP) related to incentives for vessels with selective fishing gear, reduced energy consumption, etc. Internationally, fisheries governance is an active are of innovation, and new governance tools have recently been developed like, for instance, the “Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries” in a process lead by FAO with the participation of multiple stakeholders.